ARK Innovation Center in St. Pete tops out
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 24, 2023

St. Petersburg business and civic leaders gathered at the ARK Innovation Center on Jan. 20 to commemorate a significant milestone for the facility.

Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood, Mayor Ken Welch, Pinellas County Economic Development Director Cynthia Johnson and county Commissioner Janet Long signed a beam at the topping out ceremony held at the center, located at 1101 Fourth St. S. Topping out ceremonies are held when buildings reach their full height.

Wood’s move to St. Petersburg in 2021 was a watershed deal for the city. She is financially backing the innovation center, which broke ground in early 2022.

The 45,000-square-foot center will have a business incubator for startups, a 200-person event center, a 2,000-square-foot prototyping lab, an AR/VR studio, two classrooms, conference rooms and coworking space. Reservations are currently being accepted for companies that are building tech startups in the Internet of Things, energy, fintech, artificial intelligence and blockchain, according to the center’s website.

The center sits on 2.5 acres donated by the city. Earlier this month, Pinellas County commissioners approved providing the center an additional $4 million from the county’s Employment Sites Program.

“This business incubator will be a boon for the community and future tenants who are opening new businesses and creating jobs,” Welch wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “Here’s to innovation in our booming business ecosystem.”

Johnson told the Business Journal getting to this stage has "not been easy" and that it is a "testament to collective leadership between the Economic Development Administration, Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg, ARK Invest, and the Tampa Bay Innovation Center."

"We celebrate by leaving our signatures and well wishes on the building’s beam as a permanent reminder that we are collectively committed to growing and training entrepreneurs for generations to come," Johnson said. "As One Pinellas, we will continue to build the ideal business destination where investors want to invest, and where people want to live because of the great quality of life in our community.”

The development team also includes Dunedin-based Bandes Construction and Dallas-based The Beck Group.